Fine Lines
by SPNWinchesters
Summary: CONTAINS CA:CW SPOILERS. "It's only been a year. Are you sure this is okay?" After the events of last year, Bucky Barnes was put back into cryofreeze. However, a new enemy arises and Steve has to call in reinforcements. Takes place after Civil War and contains spoilers!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! This is my new Avengers story. These events take place a year after Civil War!  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything Marvel related!**

Wakanda, Present Day 

"It's only been a year. Are you sure this is okay?" The assistant hurried after her king, clutching a clipboard to her chest tightly. Her long heels clicked a steady tempo down the hallway, her eyes wide. T'challa didn't answer, only came to a swift stop at the cryofreeze chamber. Steve was already waiting, leaning against the railing with his arms crossed over his chest. His bright blue eyes stared at the frozen face of his best friend, an unreadable expression passing over his face. T'challa suddenly felt like he was intruding on a very personal moment.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked, pulling Steve from his thoughts. The super soldier stood to his full height and nodded.

"I need his help." Was his only response. T'challa gave him a brief nod before glancing over at the doctor and gesturing with his head. The doctor pressed a button, causing the door of the unit to open smoothly.

"We have been thawing him since you called four days ago. It is only a matter of time now." He assured the super soldier, a soft smile curling up his lips. Steve hummed in response.

"Vitals are reading normal." The doctor called out. Steve didn't take his eyes off of Bucky, catching the almost imperceptible movement of his eyes moving behind his closed eyelids. He leaned back against the railing, staring at the strong face in front of him and wondering when their lives had become so entirely screwed up. Bucky looked the same age as he had when he'd fallen from the train on the surface, but Steve could see the deep sadness and regret in him. He missed a time when life had been easier, when the only thing he'd had to worry about was the next fist fight that Bucky was inevitably going to have to pull him from.

Bucky groaned, pulling him from his thoughts, and his eyes slid open slowly. Steve stepped forward into his friend's field of view, a soft smile on his face.

"Steve?" The soft Brooklyn accent, while hoarse and gruff, was undoubtedly that of his best friend. Steve relished in the familiar sound and reached forward to help Bucky out of the chamber. "What's going on? What year is it?" He asked, feeling like he was wearing lead weights. He leaned heavily against Steve and wiggled his toes inside his boots. Steve frowned deeply, causing Bucky's heart to beat quicker. Something was wrong. "Steve, what's wrong?" He demanded, doing his best to stand up straight despite the hand he still kept clasped on Steve's shoulder for support.

"I'm really sorry to do this, Buck." Steve apologized, dipping his head so that Bucky couldn't see his face. The dark haired man tried to suppress his panic. Something was seriously wrong with Steve. "I just...it's only been a year, but I need your help." He admitted, glancing up. "This is...it's bigger than me. I can't fight alone." He explained vaguely.

"Steve..." Bucky trailed off, squeezing his best friend's shoulder tightly. Steve looked up at the familiar gesture, the same gesture Bucky had done when Steve had gotten into his first fist fight and Bucky had ended up taking a swift kick to the abdomen for him. A gesture that said he didn't mind, that he was always going to be there for his best friend. He reveled in the comfort, a smile growing on his face. "Anyway...I'm starved."


	2. Chapter 2

New York, Present Day

"Oh fuck off, Danie." Alicia Bennett snapped, narrowing her eyes dangerously. Her best friend stood in front of her, teeth clenched angrily. "I honestly can't even be surprised about this. I should have known you were sleeping with my boyfriend. I mean, shit, you guys spend so much damn time with each other, how could you not be sleeping together?" She demanded, backing away from her boyfriend's apartment door. "Whatever." She shook her head and spun on her heel, stalking down the hallway.

"What, so that's it? You're just leaving?" Danie demanded, self-consciously tugging Andrew's large shirt lower so that it covered more of her thighs. "You don't even want to talk about it?" She demanded, her shaking voice betraying her.

"I don't." Alicia confirmed with a solid nod of her head, slamming the stairwell door open and taking the stairs down two at a time. She burst onto the street, rapidly blinking the tears out of her eyes, as her phone vibrated in her pocket. She yanked it out and couldn't help but smile at the name that lit up her screen. "Steven Grant Rogers, it has been far too long since you've called me!" She cried, momentarily forgetting her anger at her best friend and boyfriend.

"Yeah, sorry about that Alicia." He replied sheepishly. "I'v been...busy." He said cryptically before speaking softly to someone near him, pulling the phone away from his mouth. "Slow down, would you? You're going to choke." He said to them. Alicia could hear a voice in the background.

"You try not eating for a year." The voice snorted playfully. Steve chuckled. The sound was magical to Alicia. After he'd been thawed, she could remember how utterly lost he was. He had always seemed so sad to the young agent (ex agent) that it was nice for her to hear him happy.

"Anyway, Alicia I'm sorry to spring this on you, but could you do me a huge favor?"

That was how Alicia found herself driving up to the Avenger's compound, which she hadn't visited in a while, on Steve's prerogative. She could almost remember the route like the back of her hand. It was about a four hour drive from the city, but she didn't mind driving, and upstate had always been so beautiful to the twenty year old. She pulled onto the familiar property and couldn't help but give a wide smile. Stark was already waiting for her at the door.

"I knew you couldn't stay away from this for too long." Tony bragged, gesturing to himself with an arrogant smile marring his attractive face. Alicia snorted loudly before throwing her arms around his neck. The man hugged her tightly, showing her just how lonely he had been since the events of the previous years. Tony never hugged tightly.

"How's everything with the UN going?" Alicia asked curiously, following him into the compound. The kitchen wasn't too far from the front door, and there was already a pot of coffee brewing. Tony made a face somewhere between disgust and frustration, shaking his head.

"They've backed off, but it was a nightmare for a while there. What brings you here?" Tony asked, pushing the attention off of himself. He was worried that if they talked about it for too long, he would end up telling her everything. About how he had messed up and now everyone on the team was a wanted criminal. About the desperate loneliness that clutched his heart so tightly it made him want to cry. About how he nursed several glasses of whiskey or brandy every night, and a massive hangover every morning just to forget. About the guilt that ate him as he watched Rhodey get used to his new pair of legs. He was afraid that he'd end up telling her that he'd been wrong, something that Tony Stark almost never was, and that he missed Steve and his team more than he even cared to admit to himself. They were his family, as begrudging as he was about it.

"Listen, Stark, I have something of...fragile matter to talk to you about." Alicia admitted. "I'm not just here on a leisurely visit." Of course she wasn't. Alicia Bennett and Tony Stark had gotten along when SHIELD was still active, but he'd never let her get close to him. She would never just drop by to see how he was doing. Despite himself, that sent a small pang through his chest. He took a sip of his coffee as Alicia nursed hers with creamer and more sugar than he thought would be healthy for a girl of her size.

"Well?" He urged her to go on. She fidgeted slightly in her seat, collecting her thoughts, before looking up at Tony.

"I have a favor to ask. No...it's not my favor, Tony. It's Steve's." The name sent Tony into something of a tailspin. He jerked away, the coffee cup clattering to the counter. Coffee sloshed over the brim as the man took a step back. "I wouldn't ask you this if it wasn't really important. Steve needs help Tony, OUR help." She looked at him meaningfully, taking a mouthful of hot coffee and almost wincing as it scorched her tongue. "And...so does Bucky." Tony flinched visibly. His old wounds were reopening, tearing open at the thought of Steve and Sergeant Barnes, whom he had alienated because of an own selfish desire to somehow bring his mom back. He'd been wrong, but his lips curled into a snarl at the name anyway. "Look, I know that you don't like Sergeant Barnes-" Stark cut her off.

"No, I _don't like_ Caviar. I HATE James Barnes." He hissed with a ferocity that Alicia didn't know he possessed anymore. She unwillingly flinched away from his palpable anger, taking a deep breath to steady her heart. It had been so long since she'd dealt with any of the Avengers, and she had to find her agent mindset again before she could continue.

"You hold a grudge." She observed. Tony laughed dryly.

"That's putting it lightly, sweetheart." All at once, he had reverted back into the cynical man that was still mourning his mother's murder. Alicia steeled her nerves and leaned forward.

"It's because you don't deal with your emotions in a healthy manner, Stark." She explained.

"Oh can it." Tony snapped, turning away to busy himself with digging through a cabinet for liquor so that she wouldn't see his shaking hands. "I don't need that lecture from you too."

"Tony, whatever you say or do, your mother isn't coming back." The words knocked the breath out of him and he had to lean against the counter, his legs trembling with a promise to give out under him. "You can't change the past. And killing Barnes will never make it better. You're indulging in your vengeance too much." She spoke softly, so as not to make him any more angry than he already was. The man took a deep, shaking breath.

"What, you're not going to tell me that he was brainwashed like everyone else did?" He demanded scathingly. Alicia smiled softly and shook her head, though she knew Stark wasn't looking at her.

"No. I know you already know that, Tony. But I don't get to decide what you do with that knowledge. Barnes struggles with scars that you and I can never fathom. He has to live with all of that blood on his hands." Tony knew that the young agent had a point. "I know that he killed your mom, and I know that you think you hate him, but I think you should give him a chance. Not the Winter Soldier, but Bucky Barnes." Tony sighed deeply, his shoulders sinking slightly.

"I'm not giving my word, but...what do they need?"


	3. Chapter 3

Wakanda, Present Day

The nights were always the worst. Steve liked living alone because when he woke up in a cold sweat with Bucky's name hanging on his lips, there was nobody to ask questions. He would never admit it to anyone, but Bucky's resurgence from supposed death several years before had rattled Steve to the core. He frequently had nightmares about his best friend standing over him, the cold eyes of the Winter Soldier glaring down at him as he held a gun to the Captain's heart. Tonight was no different.

"BUCKY!" He jolted up in his temporary bed at T'challa's place with sweat rolling down his face and tears in his eyes. His blankets were a twisted mess around his legs and his chest heaved.

"Jesus Steve." The man jumped, startled to see Bucky leaning heavily against his door frame, his gray-blue eyes showing nothing but absolute concern for his best friend. "What's wrong?" He asked the question, but the sadness in his eyes told Steve that he already knew.

"Sorry I woke you." Steve apologized, wiping the sweat off of his forehead. Bucky snorted, making his way slowly into the room and flopping onto the bed. Steve could tell from his tired sigh that the man was still trying to recover his strength from being frozen for another year.

"You wanna talk about it?" Bucky asked in a soft tone. Steve shook his head. That wasn't something he needed to saddle Bucky with, not on top of everything that the man was already struggling with. "Yeah, you never did before either." He murmured, glancing at Steve in the darkness. "I don't remember much from before the fall." He admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "But sometimes I get pieces of memories. I'm pretty sure you used to be smaller." He sounded unsure, but a wry smirk spread across his face. Steve chuckled, thankful for the change of subject, and nodded.

"Not to mention sick all the damn time." He replied, leaning back against his headboard. Bucky laughed, nodding in agreement.

"My mom used to be so scared that you'd just break." He'd never admit to Steve that he too often feared for Steve's well being. He could easily remember the constant asthma attacks. Before he'd met Steve, he had used to think his least favorite sound was the sound of his little sisters crying. But after he and Steve had become friends, he'd realized that it was actually the wheezing of his best friend when an attack struck. The sound had always used to seize his heart in fear, making his hands tremble more than he'd care to admit.

"She used to make the best Lavender tea." Steve reminisced, a nostalgic smile creeping across his face. Bucky smiled absently, but couldn't recall the memory that Steve was. The other man seemed to lose himself in his thoughts, giving Bucky silence and time to think.

He remembered when HYDRA had first awoken him. His memories from the time, though fragmented, were crisp and they made him wince. Steve had assured him many times that nobody was mad about it. 'You weren't you, Buck.' The man had promised. Bucky knew he had a point, but couldn't help but fear for the people around him. The damage he could cause was almost unprecedented.

"Do you remember Bonnie?" Steve asked, ripping the other man from visions of blood and death. Bucky shook his head, ridding himself of the morbid thoughts, and looked up at Steve with a concentrated face. "We went to the Expo the night before you left with her and her sister." He smiled at the fond memory. "You were mad at me that day. For trying to enlist." Bucky couldn't recall the night, but the last statement seemed to strike a chord in him. He sat up straighter, turning to look at Steve.

"You were so dead set on joining." He grinned, though something seemed off to Steve.

"I never did understand why that made you so mad." Steve admitted with a shrug. "And afterwards well...it didn't really matter much, I suppose." Bucky chewed on his lower lip and looked down.

"I was just worried about you. You're my little brother." Bucky replied with a shrug.

"Not so little anymore." Steve corrected, but the bright smile on his face gave away his happy emotion. It was happening slowly, but the Bucky he'd once known was starting to show his face again. There were things that would never be the same, but Steve could tell that his oldest friend was finally starting to feel comfortable with him again.

"Get some sleep." Bucky reached over and patted Steve's shoulder before leaving the room. Steve smiled and leaned back in his bed, the nightmare far from his mind, and fell asleep.

Steve was already awake by the time Bucky emerged from the room that T'challa let him stay in the next morning. He wasn't surprised, Steve usually got up at god awful early times in the morning. The light haired man was waiting for him in the hallway, leaning up against the wall across from his room.

"I received a call from my contact." He stated as soon as Bucky had exited the room. "She managed to do the impossible." Steve couldn't keep the smile off of his face. "T'challa is lending us one of his jets. We're going to the compound."


	4. Chapter 4

New York, Present Day 

The tension that greeted Steve and Bucky when they reached the compound wasn't surprising. Tony was standing in the entrance hall with his arms crossed, staring flatly at the two super soldiers. Alicia Bennett stood next to him, barely able to contain her excitement.

"It's so awesome to see you again, Steve!" She cheered as he and his best friend entered the compound. Steve smiled, but was too preoccupied looking at Tony to answer. Alicia read the air around them and decided to back away, realizing that she could talk to Steve and his friend later. She observed the man standing slightly behind Steve staring down at the ground awkwardly.

Everyone at SHIELD knew of the Winter Soldier. Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes had only been in his early twenties when he'd enlisted for the war and had gotten shipped out with the 107th division. He was known better, though, as one of Steve's Howling Commandos that had helped him to take out HYDRA during World War II. She could see the wear of war on his face, her sharp eyes taking in all the scars that battered his face. He had a sharp jaw line and gray-blue eyes that seemed haunted. She was startled by the similarities between his eyes and Steve's. They had the same old sadness and wisdom. She thought back to the old videos she'd seen of the two best friends and tried to find the same, laughing man in the man standing in front of her, but there was practically no trace of the old Bucky Barnes.

"It's been too long, Capsicle." Tony broke the tense silence, allowing a smirk to grow on his face. Steve's shoulders loosened slightly. He was in no way in the clear with Tony, but at least they were on talking terms. "Agent Bennett-" She cleared her throat, interrupting him. Tony rolled his eyes, but fixed his sentence. "Alicia told me you're looking for an arm." He looked at Bucky as he said this. The dark haired man looking up, meeting Tony's eyes, and nodded.

Tony was taken aback by the visible guilt and sincerity in his eyes. He swallowed and turned, not wanting to see the raw emotions in his mother's killer, and gestured for his three companions to follow him. Nobody talked as they entered his lab, where a shiny new arm was waiting on the work bench.

"You took a couple days." Tony only shrugged at Steve's widened gaze. It had only been two days since Bucky had been thawed, and Steve didn't want to think about how much sleep Tony had lost building an arm for a man that he detested.

"I don't understand." Bucky spoke for the first time. Alicia jumped, not expecting the deep Brooklyn voice next to her, and took a deep breath to calm her startled heart. Bucky shot her an apologetic expression, which she just waved off. "You hate me. Why would you do this for me?" He gestured to the metal arm that would replace his old one, which had been missing since Stark himself had ripped it from Bucky's body.

"I owed Cap." Tony only shrugged. "Go ahead and sit down. I'll have to remove what's left of the old one." Bucky slipped his jacket off, revealing the destroyed shoulder of his old metal arm.

"Hey." Alicia touched Steve's shoulder softly where he stood at the door. When the super soldier turned to her, she gestured with her head to the door. "Let's leave them alone for a couple minutes okay?" Steve glanced back at Bucky unsurely. "Trust me, it'll be good for them."

Neither Tony nor Bucky said anything when the door opened and their other two companions slipped out of the room, leaving them in terse silence.

"I used to hate Steve." Tony tossed the statement out without much care. He put his head down so that Bucky couldn't see the expression on his face, but the man was a trained assassin; he'd already caught it. "My dad used to go on and on about how amazing he was." Tony rolled his eyes. "There was never a time when I wasn't being held to this...giant expectation." Tony finished his revelation, wondering why he'd admitted that to the black haired ex assassin.

"Believe it or not, Steve really did used to be the weakest man I've ever seen." Bucky replied after a couple seconds of silence to gather his thoughts. "Nobody will ever really know the extent to his health problems before the serum, except for me." He shook his head, a wry smile across his face. "I used to worry about that kid incessantly." Stark listened, enraptured, to the older man. He tried to imagine Steve as small and weak, but the image seemed wrong to him.

"Did..." Tony trailed off, swallowing harshly. Bucky could sense that whatever Tony was about to ask him could affect the very tense peace he and Steve had with the billionaire. "Do you remember it?" Bucky's shoulders tensed and he abruptly sat up straighter.

"I...I do." Bucky replied, the words getting stuck in his throat. Tony's breath shook slightly.

"Did she...did she talk?" His trembling voice betrayed him, despite his still hands as he meticulously cleaned all of the gunk and old wires out of Bucky's shoulder. The soldier looked away, blinking slowly. He didn't want to tell Tony, for the sake of Steve's friendship with the Stark, but he knew that Tony needed it, and deserved it.

"Her eyes were open...she was holding my wrist until the very end." He stared down at his human hand, trying not to remember the feeling of Mrs. Stark's neck under it. He repressed a shiver. "She was a fierce woman, Tony." Bucky said sincerely, turning to look at the younger man. "And I'd do anything to change it." Tony looked up with a rebuttal ready, but was thrown by the grief and depression that shone in Bucky's eyes. "I know it won't mean anything, but I'm sorry." The words seemed to have more of an effect on Tony than Bucky ever thought they would. He stopped cleaning Bucky's shoulder and stared up at the Winter Soldier. No...he stared up at James Buchanan Barnes.

"I know." He replied softly. And it was true, he did. He could see in Bucky's eyes that he truly regretted it, that he really would do anything to go back and do it over. To make a different choice.

"I appreciate everything you've done for Steve, Tony." Buck said softly as Stark finished cleaning out his shoulder. He picked up the new, lighter arm, and started to attach the wires as Bucky continued. "When I started to remember...I was worried. Steve is my little brother, and I'm glad that he was in good hands. I'm glad that you're one of his best friends." He smiled down at the man, wincing as the last connection was made.

"Well, you should be good to go." Tony only replied, standing up. Bucky rolled his shoulders softly, marveling at the lack of weight. He'd always walked with something of a swagger because the old metal arm had dragged the left side of his body lower than the right.

"It's...light." Bucky clenched and unclenched his hand, bent his elbow, and moved the arm any way he could.

"I made a few upgrades from the old one. I looked at the wiring and engineering of it. It was amazing, for the time period it came from, but archaic to today's standards. You should be able to feel at least a little bit with that one." He gestured. Bucky looked over at Stark with wide eyes.

"Stark, this means more than you could ever imagine." Bucky threw him a genuine smile, one that took Stark by surprise. When the man smiled, Stark could actually see the old Bucky Barnes, the one in all of the photos and videos from during the war, before the fall.

"Yeah well...don't destroy it."


	5. Chapter 5

It was nearing 3AM when Alicia sneaked almost silently into the kitchen, her stomach rumbling in angry hunger and sweat still beading on her forehead from her recently ended workout. She opened the fridge, the harsh light illuminating the kitchen, and snatched a water bottle from the top shelf. A slight shuffle behind her made her jump. The water bottle fell from her hand and had been replaced by her Glock, the safety flicked off, before she'd even turned around.

"Jesus Christ!" She exclaimed, peering at the figure on the other side of the kitchen in the light blossoming from the refrigerator. She tried to ignore the slight trembling in her hands as she stared down the barrel of the Winter Soldier's Sig Sauer. He held it easily with one hand looking decidedly pissed. Alicia tightened her grip on her gun, forcing her hands to stop shaking. His eyes narrowed, his murderous glare boring into hers. She raised her chin defiantly, not looking away though the cold look in his eyes terrified her.

"You got guts." He finally conceded, tucking his Sig back into his waist band and reaching over. Alicia flinched, following his movement with the gun. "Relax, okay?" He spoke easily to her and slowly flicked on the lights. The kitchen flooded with light, illuminating Bucky's face. It was only then that he could see the fear in her eyes. It would have been impossible to see to anyone but a highly trained assassin, so faint and minute that it was barely a flicker in her eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you." He put his hands out, noting the way her eyes flickered to the metal palm, before she flicked her safety back on and dropped her Glock on the island. Bucky noticed that though she had abandoned the gun, it was still easily within her reach. His mouth quirked into a smirk for a split second before it dropped back into a straight line. She was cautious.

"You startled me." She spoke, leaning against the counter and nudging the fridge shut with her foot. Her water bottle remained forgotten on the ground. Bucky noted the tension she held in her shoulders and the way her eyes followed his every movement. She stood with the air of someone who suffered from PTSD, something that he was fairly well versed in.

"Didn't mean to." He replied. It was a lie, but he wouldn't tell her that. There was no doubt that Bucky was improving from when he'd first started dredging up fragments of his memories, but he still had a hard time trusting anyone that he didn't know. Which was everyone. Alicia was a new face around him. She had worked with Steve before the fall of SHIELD in DC, but Steve trusted everyone and Bucky didn't have the freedom to do the same. He'd been shadowing her all night, observing her since she'd fallen asleep on the couch in the common room. Collecting data on her. Filing notes in his head. He'd noted the way she'd jumped from her slumber, eyes wide and mouth open. She'd made no noise, only scrubbed a hand down her face and heaved a sigh. That had been around midnight. She'd been in the training room since then.

"You've been up for a while." He observed out loud, leaning forward on the counter. She took an automatic step back, keeping a large distance between the two of them.

"Did I wake you?" She asked, only a hint of guilt in her voice. Bucky shook his head, a wry smile twisting across his face.

"I don't sleep much anymore." He explained with a slight shrug of the shoulders. "Not since before the fall." He held a sort of sick pleasure at watching her lips part slightly and her green eyes widen with surprise. It was true, the Winter Soldier didn't have the luxury of sleep that wasn't cryo-induced. He'd gotten used to going even months on just a couple hours of sleep, which he always woke up from panting and flailing and unaware of who or where he was.

"That's unfortunate." Alicia tensed as he meandered around the island, making sure his movements were slow and deliberate the way he'd seen Steve do around him when he was on edge. He crouched down and picked up Alicia's water bottle, slowly standing to his full height and settling the bottle on the counter. She inclined her head gratefully.

"Have a nice night, Ms. Bennett." He nodded his head at her and backed away from her, around the island and out of the kitchen. She gnawed on her bottom lip in debate before calling after him.

"You can call me Alicia!" He gave no indication that he'd heard.

From the hallway, Steve couldn't help but smile and shake his head. Those two were so alike and they didn't even realize it.

The next morning, Tony entered the kitchen a little after 9 without a hangover for the first time in a year. The two soldiers were sitting at the table with mugs of steaming coffee in front of them. Alicia stood in front of the stove and Tony could smell the scent of sizzling bacon in the air. His stomach growled appreciatively.

"When did you fall asleep last night?" Tony was surprised to hear Bucky's quiet voice break through the sizzling. He turned with a questioning look to see him staring at the back of Alicia's head meaningfully. She cocked it to the side, a concentrated look on her face.

"I think I might have gotten an hour from five to six." She replied, shaking her head. "But I'm not actually sure to be honest with you. After a while, it all kind of blends together." Bucky nodded in understanding, taking a sip of his black coffee.

"I don't understand how you two can manage to drink that crap." Tony gestured to the completely unaltered coffee in front of them with a disgusted frown curling his lips down. Steve gave him an affronted look and took a sip of the coffee as if to prove a point.

"Just because you dump so much sugar in yours doesn't mean everyone else does, Stark." Steve spoke after he'd swallowed the mouthful of coffee. Bucky snorted, but didn't look up from his coffee.

"So, does someone want to tell me why you're all here?" Tony asked after he'd poured himself a cup of coffee and thrown sugar into it. Steve glanced at the other two in the kitchen, who only shrugged.

"Don't ask me." Alicia stated, turning around with a plate full of bacon and another plate of cooled pancakes. She set them on the table and allowed Tony to get plates and utensils out for the four of them.

"Yeah, why are you even still here Alicia? Not that I don't appreciate this awesome breakfast, but I didn't think you were on a team with these two." He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder at the two super soldiers at the table.

"Do you want my honest answer or my SHIELD answer?" Alicia asked, only half joking. Steve snorted through a mouthful of bacon. "To put it bluntly, my life sucks." She shrugged, glancing at the other three. "This is interesting. It's fun."

"This is a death wish." Steve snapped, eyes narrowing in anger that Alicia had only ever seen on him once before. She faltered slightly, dropping her eyes to the wooden table. "With all due respect, Alicia, I'd rather you not get involved with this." Steve admitted.

"Why? Because I'm a woman?" She demanded, immediately raising her hackles. Steve didn't answer, but he didn't have to. "I cannot believe you!" She snapped, shoving away from the table. Her coffee and breakfast remained forgotten as she stormed out of the kitchen. The door to the training room down the hall slammed and not two second later they heard loud music blasting from it. Steve winced.

"That didn't go over as well as I'd hoped." He admitted, glancing up at the other two men. Bucky snorted and then gave a weak excuse for a cough to try to cover it up.

"You think?" He replied snarkily. "Even I know that's sexist, Stevie." Steve was shaking his head before Bucky had even finished his sentence.

"It isn't that. I'm just...worried about her." Alicia's past was murky. Most people who worked for SHIELD had murky pasts, but Alicia Bennett's was especially murky. She was young, only twenty, but Steve could tell she'd seen a lot.

"She suffers from PTSD." Bucky stated, making the other two look up in confusion. "I encountered her last night. All the signs are there." He shrugged almost nonchalantly. "Anyway, I can see why you'd be concerned about it." He glanced up at his best friend as he took another pancake and handful of bacon.

"No, that's not it. I'm not even sure I know what this thing is. I want to keep it on the down low for now. Only people I trust." Steve gave his two friends at the table a meaningful glance. "I like Alicia, I think she's a great agent, but I can't trust her that much. Not right now, not yet." He shook his head.

"Whatever you choose, Steve, I'll be there." Bucky assured his friend, patting his shoulder. Tony nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, what he said."


	6. Chapter 6

Unknown Location, 2007

It was dark. Even with her eyes wide open, the girl pressed in the corner of the small room couldn't see anything. Her small body shook, whether it was from fear or hunger she didn't know, and her feet had long gone numb. She wiggled her toes anyway, watching them move but unable to feel them. The cold cement of the floor seeped up through her legs and seemed to spread throughout her entire body. Her teeth chattered slightly.

The room was small as far as she could tell. It was barely anything more than four walls and a ceiling, with a metal door inlaid into the outside wall. There were no windows, no way for her to tell what time or day it was. The girl squeezed her knees tighter to her chest, sniffling loudly.

"She's only a child, Grayson." A voice outside of her cell made her perk. Her highly sensitive ears could hear two pairs of footsteps walking down some sort of hallway and stopping outside of her door. They were whispering, but the blackened room was designed to enhance her other senses.

"She's our strongest subject." A male voice replied. It was gravelly and deep, the voice of someone who was clearly tall and strong. The girl repressed a whimper.

"She's only ten." The woman's voice replied. The girl was confused, was that concern in her voice? She shook her head slightly. No, that couldn't be right. The scientists here weren't concerned with their subjects. There was a click and the door swung open. She cried against the light, throwing her arms over her face.

"Shut up. Come on." Two hands yanked her to her feet, dragging her into a white hallway. The girl had to squint, the man basically dragging her. Her feet struggled to keep up from hunger. She didn't know how long she'd been in that dark room. Could have been hours. Could have been days. She couldn't tell anymore.

"Subject 85." She changed hands and was laid on a metal table. She peered up at the doctor in front of her, the white lab coat seeming even brighter in the fluorescent lights of the lab. "Do you have a name?" The man asked, sounding almost compassionate. The girl shook her head.

"Subject 85." She replied in a scratchy voice hoarse from disuse. A deep frown twisted across the doctor's face.

"This is going to hurt. I'm sorry."

It felt like fire and chaos in her veins. She remembered screaming, and choking on tears and sobs. But nothing made the pain stop. Nothing made it go away except for the sweet relief of unconsciousness.

New York, Present Day 

"Hey, just thought I'd call and let you know I made it back to my apartment okay." Alicia tucked her phone between her shoulder and her ear as she unlocked the door to her apartment.

"I'm really glad to hear that." Steve's voice came over the other end as she slammed the door shut behind her and threw her purse on the floor. "This whole thing could be nothing, Alicia, but would you do me a favor and keep an eye out for yourself? If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me." He offered. Alicia almost wanted to roll her eyes.

"Sure thing, Steve. Thanks!" She replied before hanging up the phone and sliding it back into her pocket.

Her apartment was small. Alicia Bennett was nothing if a minimalist. She had the basics, a small couch with an even smaller TV, a bed in her bedroom, and a kitchen table. Her apartment was clean, almost immaculate. Everything had a place. She threw herself onto her couch with a bored sigh. Ever since SHIELD had dissolved, Alicia had been struggling to find ways to keep herself busy. She'd taken up a part time job as a waitress at a cafe down the street, but it did little to cure her ever growing boredom. She longed to work in the field again, to feel the adrenaline take over.

Her phone suddenly rang, startling the girl. She pulled it out of her pocket, frowning as she saw the name on her screen. She finally clicked answer and held it up to her ear.

"Hi Brandon." She sighed, leaning back in her couch and closing her eyes against the headache that was growing in her temple.

"Alicia, can we meet?" Her ex boyfriend asked sounding like a kicked puppy. Alicia almost groaned out loud.

"Look Brandon, I'd really appreciate if you would just leave me alone. I've got a lot going on."

"Is everything okay? I'm coming over." Brandon stated. Before she could answer him, the phone clicked and she was left with silence. She knew better than anyone that once Brandon made his mind up, there was no changing it.

Not ten minutes later, there was a frantic pounding at her door. She padded towards it, tugging the door open. Brandon was standing on the other side looking just as handsome as he'd looked the first day she'd ever seen him. She had to catch her breath as she stepped aside, letting him in. Her heart ached.

"What's going on?" He asked, taking a seat on her couch. She leaned against the wall, staring at the scene that seemed to familiar to her. Brandon had spent more than his fair share of time on her couch, so much so that it was hard to imagine him sitting on anyone else's couch. The thought made her wince slightly.

"Nothing, I've just been busy, Brandon. Look, is there a reason that you're here?" She asked, not moving to sit next to him even though he patted the seat next to him. After realizing that she wasn't going to sit down, he sighed and leaned his elbows forward on his knees.

"I just...can we talk about what happened? With Danie? Will you let me explain?" He glanced over at his ex. "Alicia, I really love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you please work this out with me?" She almost laughed directly in his face.

"You've got to be kidding me, Brandon? If you really loved me and wanted to spend the rest of my life with me, you wouldn't have slept with my best friend." She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Look, it's been a really long day to be honest with you, and I just can't deal with this right now. Can you please just go?" Brandon could see that she was exhausted. She had enormous bags under her eyes, and was leaning heavily against the wall.

"Hey...if you need anything please call me, okay?" He whispered before leaving her alone in the apartment. Alicia finally sighed and fell to the couch in relief. After the long couple days she'd had, it didn't take her long to fall asleep.


End file.
